Twelve years to the day after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, another deadly storm forced the rescue of hundreds of people from floodwaters in southwestern Louisiana and prompted New Orleans to shut down its schools and other key institutions as a precaution.
Tropical Storm Harvey flooded neighborhoods overnight with chest-deep water in the Lake Charles area, near the Texas line, although water abated in some places Tuesday as rain slackened. In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged residents to stay home Tuesday because of the threat of potential flooding. Many appeared to be heeding his call. Meanwhile, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Louisiana is offering to shelter storm victims from Texas.
“We have offered to stand up shelters specifically for individuals who would be transported out of Texas, so that they could be housed in shelters in Louisiana, particularly in north confident we can handle it,” he told local and state officials.
Some New Orleans neighborhoods flooded earlier this month during a deluge that exposed problems with the city’s pump and drainage system. On Tuesday, rains flooded a few of the city’s streets. The city’s public schools were closed, along with six universities and a medical school. A ceremony and march in New Orleans to commemorate the deadly 2005 storm was postponed until Sunday.
